Manually operated propelling means for boats and the like



H. M. HALL Nov. 23, 1943.

MANUALLY OPERATED PROPELLING MEANS FOR BOATS AND THE LIKE Filed May 8, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 23, 1,943..r H. M. HALL 2,335,211

vMANUALLY OPERATED PROPELLING MEANS FOR BOATS AND THE LIKE Filed May 8, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @im gg www@ Ilary M110!! 'Ihe nature of the'present invention may Patented Nov. 23, 1943 MANUALLY OPERATED PROPELLING MEANS FOR BOATS AND THE LIKE Harry M. Hall, Akron, Ohio, assgnor of fifty percent to J. S. Applegate, Wellsburg, W. Va., and twenty-seven and one-half percent to Orpha E.

Lyda, Canton, Ohio Application May 8, 1942, Serial No. 442,191

2 Claims.

The invention relates to manually operated propelling means or apparatus for boats and the like, and particularly lifeboats, and includes improvements of U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,149,850, issued March 7, 1939, to Arthur W. Lyda, for Lifeboats.

In the hand operated mechanism by means of which the passengers or crew of the boat of said Lyda patent may drive the propeller shaft, the operators of the mechanism stand in the aisleway between the seats, alternately facing opposite sides of the boat and grasp hand grips on the operating levers of the drive mechanism,rocking the levers back and forth transversely of the boat in order to rotate the drive shaft through levers and spur gearing.

The necessity for the operators to stand and face `the oppositesides of the boat is tiring and requires the operators to twist their necks and bodies in order to observe the course of the boat.

Moreover, the mechanism of said Lyda patent can turn the drive shaft in either direction, and the operators do not know which direction the drive shaft and thus the propeller will turn until after the shaft rotates, and also in the mechanism of said Lyda patent the gears are exposed.

The objects of the present invention include the provision of manually operated propelling means for boats and the like, and which may be operated by persons seated on usual transfer seats of a usual lifeboat with all the operators facing in one direction.

Further objects of the present invention include the provision of improved manually operated drive means particularly adapted for use in driving the propeller of a boat, and in which the drive shaft can only be driven in one direction, and including a balancing fiywheel, and reversing means whereby the driven propeller shaft may be selectively rotated in either direction, and which includes housings enclosing the gears and other working parts.V

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the manually operated propelling means, mechanism, apparatus, parts, combinations, and sub-combinations, which comprise the present invention, the nature of which is set forth in the following general statement, and preferred embodiments of which together with their mode of use arev set forth by way of example in the fol- Y lowing description, and which are particularly appended claims forming part hereof."

stated in general terms as includingprelferably and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the in a boat, manually operated propelling apparatus particularly adapted for propelling the boat including a drive shaft, manually operated means for rotating the drive shaft, means limiting rotation of the drive shaft to one direction, a driven shaft, helical gear means operatively connecting the drive shaft and the driven shaft, a propeller shaft, a propeller on the propeller shaft, a flywheel on one of the shafts preferably the driven shaft, and reversing gear means operatively interposed between the driven shaft and the propeller shaft.

The helical gear means and the rotational direction limiting means are preferably enclosed by` a housing frame including bearing means for the drive and driven shafts, and the drive shaft and driven shaft and their associated parts preferably constituting a step-up gear unit.

Likewise, the reversing'gear means is preferably in the form-of a reversing gear unit enclosed in a housing frame providing bearings for the shafts of the unit.

By way of example, a preferred embodiment of the improved manually operated propelling meansor apparatus for boats and the like is i1- lustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which Fig-ure 1 is a top plan view of a lifeboat equipped with propelling apparatus including the present improvements;

Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical sectional view thereof, as on line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a detached vertical sectional view, as on line 3 3, Fig. .4, of the preferred improved step- -up gear unit of the apparatus, with portions broken away and shown in section; and

Fig. 4, a transverse sectional View thereof, as on line 4--4, Fig. 3.

Similar numerals refer to throughout the several views.

`The lifeboat indicated generally by Ill in Figs. 1 and 2, as shown includes a one-piece steel bar formed as a keel Il, a stern I2, and a stern post I3 and upon which is secured in a usual manner a steel shell or hull I4 provided with upper gunwales I5 and I6.

similar parts Within the shell I4 are located and secured in a usual manner a plurality of thwarts I'I which extend across the boat and provide seats for the ypassengers and crew.

benches merge at the ends of thek boat in deck 20 and a stern deck 2l.

` Steel braces 22 and 23.` preferably extend be- 21 is operatively mounted and provided at its upper end with a tiller 23.

The improved manually 1operated propelling apparatus for the boat includes a step-up gearunit indicated generally by 29` mounted on a. suitable base 30 on the bottom ofthe boat shell I4. In the center portion of the boat thethwarts are arranged in closely arranged pairs, and for purposes of convenience and compactness, the step-up gear unit 29 is preferably located below the after pair of thwarts I1.

The step-up gear unit 29 includes a housing and mounting frame 3| in which is journalled a transverse driveshaft 32 having ends extending beyond opposite sides of the housing 3|, and the housing 3|also journals and operatively mounts a drivenishaft 33'located above the drive shaft 32 and having an end 34 extending rearwardly towards-the stern ofthe boatv from the housing 3|.

Thedriven shaft 33 ofthe step-up gear unit 29 is as shown and preferably located in the vertical plane'ofthekeel II, stern I2 and stern post I3, and the improved propelling apparatus furthermore includes likewise in the same vertical plane, a propeller shaft 35"alined with the driven shaft 33l andoperatively'mounted preferably as shown in a-propeller bearing and mounting tube 39 extending-through thestern post i3 and stern portions of thevshell I4.

On the outside off the shell I4 and beyond the stern post I 3', the propeller shaft bearing and mounting tube 36' is preferably supported' by a strut 3'l'extending between the outer end of the tube 36 and the keel extension 26. The propeller shaft 35 v extends beyond the outer end ofthe tube 35 and terminates between the stern post I3v and the rudder 21, andV on its stern extremity the propeller shaft 35 has secured thereon a propeller 38.

The forward end of' the propeller shaft 35 is operatively connected with the rear end 34 of the driven shaft 3,3 of the step-upgear unit 29, and for the purposes of the` present improvement there is preferably operatively interposed between vthe forwardend ofithe propeller shaft 35, and the rear end 34 of, the driven shaft 33, a reverse gear unit 3`9'controlledby a reversinglever 43 extending upwardly 'from the reverse gearv unit 39 in the open space between the thwartsbeneath which the step-up gear unit 29 is located and the next thwart toward the sternlof the boat.

Also for the purposes of theI present improvements, a flywheel 47| ispreferably secured on one of'` the shafts preferably as: shown on the rearv end 34. ofr the drivenV shaft 33; of the step-up gear unit294 Y On' thetouter endsof the drive shaft 3'2'ofthe step-up gear unit 29 drive cranks 42 and 43a1'e secured', thecrank angle between the longitudinal vcenter linesof the cranks 42and 43 being'preferably lessv than 180' and as shown 90.

Manually operated meansV for rotatingv the driveshaft 32e include the cranks 42 and 43'and lever and linkmean's indicated generally by 44 operatively4 associated withv the cranks 4 2' and4 43.

As shown, the leverfand link means 44 in.- cludes supported vwithin 'the shell ofV the boat; as

of thwarts.v andthe next single thwart as shown, each beam 41 and 48 has formed therein a longitudinally extending slot 43 on opposite sides of which are secured on its beam a pair of laterally spacedpivot mounting brackets 53.

{Betweenreaoh pair of spaced mounting brackj ets 59 an operating lever 5I extends through its slot 49 vandlabove and below its supporting and mounting beam 48 or 41, and each operating lever 5| is pivotally mounted in its brackets 50 as by a pivot pin 52 whose pivot axisl extends crosswise of the keel.

Below the beams 48v andlll each lever 5| has operatively mounted therein a/pivot pin 53, the axes of each set of pivot. pins 52 and 53.being parallel and having the same spacing as the othersetsyand the pivot pins 53f of the levers 5I atthe side'of theboat above the drive crank 42 are pivotally connected in equally spaced pivot apertures formed in a drive bar. 54; and similarly the pivot, pins 53 of the lever 5I at the. other Yside of the boatabove the drive crank 43V are pivotally connected in equally spaced apertures formed in a driverbar 55.

' The two leversEI immediately forwardof the step-up gear unit 23 extend below the drive bars 541 and' 55. respectively and are provided with lower pivotfpins, and a'par or" drive links 51 having equally: spaced pivot apertures in their ends connect the drive pins 56, one with acrank pin 58 on the drive crank 42 and the other with a crank pin 59 on theA drive crank 43, the crank pins 53and 53 being equally spaced from the drivesh'aftr32. Y Y

Theimproved step-up gear unit 29 is detached and' illustrated in detail in Figs. 3 and 4, and within the housing 3| the drive shaftY 32 has keyed thereon a helical driving gear 69 which meshes withv ahelicalv driven pinion 6 I preferably as shown formed integrally'on the driven shaft'33`: y,

lFor limiting rotation of the drive shaft 32 to Aone direction, within the housing 3| the drive shaft 32 has keyed thereon: atrone side of the helical gear 60 a ratchet 62, and a pawl 33 operatively mounted on and; withinthe housing 3| for cooperation with the-'ratchet 62 in the usual manner; Y f

In-the operation ofthe improved propelling apparatus, all the passengers of the boat I3 may be seated facing in one'directionvo'n the thwarts 1, and those passengers oppositev the upper ends of thelevers 5| constitute the driving crew of the boat andby swinging or oscillating the levers 5I to andi fro cause' the ,unidirectional rotation of thev drive shaft.. 32. and' rotation,V of the pro.- peller in. the direction necessary to. drive the boat forward or backward depending. upon the setting ofthe reverse gear unit. 39 by the, control lever-4.9. ,g L ,A

The flywheel 4|.,Qff,therapeute appara-ius provides momentum, for the continuous rotation of the. propeller 38 in .the-intervals y when. force is not being; applied:V to the4 levers 517.- Y

The rudder 21 is handled in the usual manner by one of the crew through the tiller 28.

The improved lifeboat Ill equipped with the improved manually operated propelling apparatus as above set forth thus enables all the driving crew to face either fore or aft, provides unidirectional rotation of the drive shaft, controlled reversing of the propeller, and protection of all the gears by the housings of the step-up gear unit and the reverse gear unit, and thus constitutes a practical and seaworthy manually operated propeller driven boat.

The embodiments of the present invention illustrated and described herein are by way of eX- ample and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the same or to the particular details thereof, but is commensurate with any and all novel subject matter contained herein which may at any time properly under the United States patent laws be set forth in the claims hereof or originating herein, and the elements of any such claims are intended to include their functional or structural equivalents.

I claim:

1. In a boat including a keel and a shell, thwarts extending transversely of the shell, brackets depending from the thwarts near each side of the boat, longitudinally extending supporting beams carried by said brackets, pivot mounting brackets located at spaced points upon said supporting beams, hand levers pivoted upon said pivot mounting brackets, a drive bar pivotally connected to the hand levers on each side of the boat, a drive shaft journalled transversely of the keel, crank arms upon opposite ends of the drive shaft, means connecting each crank arm to one of the drive bars, a spiral gear upon the drive shaft, a ratchet upon the drive shaft, a pawl cooperating with the ratchet for limiting rotation of the drive shaft in one direction, a driven shaft extending in the same direction as the keel, a spiral gear upon the driven shaft meshing with the gear upon the drive shaft, a fly wheel upon the driven shaft, a propeller shaft extending in the same direction as the keel, a propeller on the propeller shaft, and reversing gear means interposed between the driven shaft and the propeller shaft.

2. In a boat including a keel and a shell, thwarts extending transversely of the shell, brackets depending from the thwarts near each side of the boat, longitudinally extending supporting beams carried by said brackets, pivot mounting brackets located at spaced points upon said supporting beams, hand levers pivoted upon said pivot mounting brackets, a drive bar pivotally connected to the hand levers on each side of the boat, a drive shaft journalled transversely of the keel, crank arms upon opposite ends of the drive shaft, one hand lever on each side extending beyond the corresponding drive bar, links pivotally connected to the extending portions of said hand levers and to said crank arms, a spiral gear upon the drive shaft, a ratchet upon the drive shaft, a pawl cooperating with the ratchet for limiting rotation of the drive shaft in one direction, a driven shaft extending in the same direction as the keel, a spiral gear upon the driven shaft meshing with the gear upon the drive shaft, a fly wheel upon the driven shaft, a propeller shaft extending in the same direction as the keel, a propeller on the propeller shaft, and reversing gear means interposed between the driven shaft and the propeller shaft.

HARRY M. HALL. 

